Homemade Bread Sticks

by Pam on December 4, 2009

I have always been scared to bake bread but it’s a fear I must face. Since I was making a big pot of spaghetti for dinner I decided to try baking homemade bread sticks. I found this recipe on Our Best Bitesthat looked simple yet tasty. My kids were really excited to help make them with me… they both loved watching the water, sugar and yeast bubble and they did a great job twisting the bread dough into sticks. Once they were baked, I rubbed the sticks with butter and sprinkled the tops with garlic salt – they were fantastic. We all, especially my kids, loved them. I am looking forward to more bread baking in the future.

Homemade Bread Sticks:Recipe and photos by For the Love of Cooking.net

Combine the water, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Let stand for 10 minutes or until the yeast is bubbly.

Add salt to the mixture and stir. Add 1 1/2 cups of flour and mix well. Gradually add more flour until the dough starts to pull away from the sides of the bowl and it barely sticks to your finger – it’s usually 3-4 cups depending on your elevation and humidity.

Spray a metal or glass bowl with cooking spray and place the ball of dough in the bowl.

Cover the bowl and allow the dough to rise for 45 minutes or until it’s doubled in size.

Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface. Place a silpat sheet on a baking pan and coat with cooking spray. Gently roll the dough into a rectangle then cut into 20 strips with a pizza cutter.

Twist the dough or wrap it around your finger then place each twisted bread stick onto the baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough making sure to leave some room between each bread stick. Cover pan and allow dough to rise for another 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. When the bread is done rising, bake for 9-10 minutes or until golden brown. Rub the tops of the bread sticks with butter then sprinkle with garlic salt or Parmesan cheese. Enjoy.

Despite what we think, yeast bread is not delicate. And, you know what you're feeding the kids! If you want them to rise faster (kids can get impatient), simply double the yeast and leave all the other ingredients the same. It won't change the flavor at all.